Save Us
by GaaraEatsTacos
Summary: Itachi and Sasuke live in a broken home with two abusive parents. Who are they to tell? Who will help them? A little bit of ItaDei, nothing smutty.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hey kiddies, after a couple month's absence, I'm back! Sadly, I've decided that I need to discontinue the Naru/Gaa yaoi fic that I was writing. I lost interest in the storyline, and I'm sorry. But, while I was away, another idea came to my head. A Itachi/Sasuke fic! Not a yaoi one but um..yes! I shall write about them! Actually, this idea came to me when I was working on some "alternate ending" for the "Lord of the Flies" book for english homework..weird, huh? O.O Naruto...Lord of the Flies...hmm...do I smell a ficcie in the oven? Damn. What's wrong with me!!?  
**Another A/N:** I'm trying something new out. Something like an AU fic. Only slightly. I dunno...you'll see what happens as the story progresses. I've never written an AU before..at least I don't think I have...Oh. And Deidara is also in this fic. He and Itachi are 13 years old, Sasuke is 8. There. Now read!

**Chapter Rating:** "T" For mild violence and mild swearing.

**DISCLAIMER:** I, Kayt, do not own Naruto. Because, if I did, I'd be rich. And I am clearly not.

Itachi ran through the halls of his home in a panic. He had heard loud, blood curdling screams coming from his little brother Sasuke's room. He also heard yelling from his father, crying from his mother, and loud, crashing sounds, like things being thrown around. Itachi stopped when he reached Sasuke's door.

"Sasuke-chan!" Itachi pounded his fist hard into the locked door over and over again. His heart was tearing in two as he heard Sasuke's tortured screams. He knew exactly what was going on. Their father had come home drunk again, in an angry rage. Most likely, he was angry for no reason. Itachi thought he just enjoyed hurting people weaker than himself, and alcohol made it all the better to kill his guilt. This time though, he had not decided to take out his anger on Itachi or his wife. Sasuke was his target.

Itachi was finally able to break down the door. Their mother was huddled in a corner, tears streaming down her cheeks. She had obviously tried previously to stop her husband from whatever he was doing. Their father was holding Sasuke against a wall, gripping his small arms tight enough to leave bruises. Sasuke was kicking and screaming, trying to break free. 

"Let go of him, you douchebag!!" Itachi yelled. He lundged at his father, digging his nail's into his arm. Their father tried to shrug Itachi off, also keeping a firm grip on his younger son. But Itachi wouldn't let go. His nails dug so deep that blood had started to seep through.

"You asshole! Get the fuck off me! Now! This little shit deserves what he's getting!" he yelled angrily. He was so mad in fact, that he lost his grip over Sasuke, dropping him to the ground. Sasuke immediatly ran behind his big brother, in hopes of being protected. Itachi glanced at Sasuke, then their father.

"Sasuke-chan. I want you to get out of here, now!" he looked over at his mother, who was still huddled in the corner. "You too. Both of you, go in another room before you get hurt even worse!"

Itachi's father's face twisted in anger. He started unexpectedly throwing punches. Itachi took two blows to the face, and one to the stomach. Of course t hurt, but he'd rather it be him than his little brother or his mom. 

"That's what you get for trying to play the hero. Stupid kid." his father said, stumbling as he walked out of the room. He knew his father would be satisfied with this and forget about the others. For tonight at least...   
THAT NIGHT, A FEW HOURS LATER...

Itachi sat on the foot of his bed, running his fingers along the bluish-purple marks on his face, slightly cringing when he pressed down on it. He was surprised he didn't have any broken bones. He heard a faint knock at the door.

"Who is it...?" he asked.  
"It's me. Sasuke." Itachi breathed a sigh of relief. He thought it was his father.  
"Come in, Sasuke-chan..." Sasuke opened the door and shut it behind him quietly. He sat down beside his older brother. Itachi smiled slightly.  
"Why are you up? You should be sleeping right now..." Sasuke looked up into his brother's eyes.  
"Because you're hurt! I wanted to come see if you were ok!" Sasuke said rather loudly. Itachi quickly put his hand over Sasuke's mouth, making sure he uttered not one more sound. 

"Sasuke-chan, do you want dad to wake up!?" Itachi whispered in a worried tone. Sasuke shook his head. "Then be quieter when you talk. You don't want him to go all crazy again, do you?" Again, Sasuke shook his head. Itachi took his hand off of his brother's mouth and smiled a little bit.

"I'm fine, ok? Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." He said. Sasuke didn't look convinced.

"But what about those bruises? What are you gonna do when we go to school tomorrow? How are you gonna hide it??" Sasuke was asking so many questions. Itachi himself did not know what he was going to do to hide the marks. 

"I'll figure something out..Sasuke-chan, get out and go to bed. Before dad wakes up and catches you..." He pointed to the door. Sasuke had a sad expression on his face. He gave Itachi a hug and went back to his room to sleep. Itachi then turned out the lights and layed in his bed. He knew for a fact that he was not going to get any sleep tonight.

NEXT MORNING

Itachi walked downstairs into the kitchen to find his mother doing dishes and Sasuke eating breakfast. He looked over at the clock and yawned. 

"Five o'clock AM and you guys are already up? Wow..." Itachi said sleepily. "Where's Dad?"  
"He's already gone to work. And why are _you_ up so early, sweetie? You still have another hour until you have to get up. Why not sleep as much as you can" she teased. Itachi rubbed his eyes and yawned again.

_"An hour of sleep isn't going to do any good at all..."_ he thought.

Sasuke looked at him cheerfully.  
"Look, Itachi! I'm eating Fruit Loops!" he said loudly, scooping another spoonful into his mouth. Itachi smiled.  
"Sasuke-chan, you _are_ a fruit loop..." he laughed. Itachi's mother had finished the dishes and turned around to face him.

"Itachi. Can we go into another room? I need to speak with you privately." she said sternly. Itachi was concerned. Her tone had dramatically changed from happy and cheerful, to someone who sounded like they were next in line to be killed on death row. They both walked into her room, and she closed the door. 

"Itachi, sweetie...about what happened last night..."  
"It's alright mom, don't worry about it..." Itachi said, staring at the ground.  
"No, Itachi, I don't think you understand. It was _your_ fault. Your father, he wouldn't have gone out to drink again if it weren't for you..." she said bluntly.

Itachi's jaw dropped open.

"What!? _My_ fault? What the fuck did _I_ do!?"  
"Please don't swear Itachi. It's not nice." she said calmly.

"What the fuck did I do!? How is any of this _my_ fault! I didn't do anything wrong, and you know that! Neither did Sasuke! There was absolutely no reason for him to go out, get drunk, and do what he did! And besides, he always gets drunk like that and attacks whoever _breathes_ the wrong way first. Don't try to blame _any_ of this on me or Sasuke!" Itachi's face became red with anger. He stormed out of his mother's room and grabbed his backpack. He stopped and looked over at Sasuke. The he yelled into the air.

"I'm leaving now! I'm going to Deidara's. And if I'm not back then, whatever!" He continued stomping through the house but suddenly looked over his shoulder, smiling.  
"Goodbye, Sasuke-chan." he said.

"Um...Bye, Itachi..." Sasuke replied. No matter how mad Itachi ever was, he could never, ever be mad with his little brother. He didn't know why, but he couldn't.

Itachi slammed the door behind him and continued on walking to Deidara's house. It was still pretty early, and he knew Deidara hated being woken up.

Whoa. I don't think any of my fics have a chapter quite as long as this one. I feel all happy now w00t.  
Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **This chapter is for Jesse Cade, because she thought Sasuke was cute 

**Chapter Rating: **"T" for mild language and self-mutlilation.

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own Naruto.  
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As Itachi was walking to Deidara's, it was still quite dark outside, and it had begun to rain. Heavily. Itachi usually liked walking in the rain but right now, he didn't feel like getting soaked. The ground got very muddy too. So muddy in fact, that Itachi slipped and fell on the ground, getting his clothes severly dirty.

"Great. Just Great." Itachi mumbled, brushing himself off. "It's not like I brought any extra clothes with me..damn, this sucks..." Itachi had finally reached Deidara's house. He had to climb on Deidara's rooftop and knock on his bedroom window, because he knew his parents would just yell at him for coming this early. He knocked. 

"It's you, isn't it? Itachi?" Deidara asked.   
"Umm...Yeah. Open the window, Deidara." Itachi said in sort of a hushed voice. Deidara got up and opened the window for Itachi. Itachi stumbled into Deidara's room, getting mud all over the floor. Not that it mattered. His room was already a mess anyways. Deidara gave him a puzzled look.

"Hey..what happened?" he asked. 

"I fell." Itachi said. "Can I borrow some of your clothes?" 

"Sure, of course you can but...I was talking about your face...it's all black and blue." Itachi's eye twitched slightly when Deidara had mentioned the bruises. He was silent. He began going through Deidara's closet to find something new to wear.

"Itachi. Was it your dad?" Still, Itachi ignored him. They were best friends, but it seemed Itachi didn't trust Deidara as well as he should. He pulled a out a black T-shirt and some ripped jeans from Deidara's closet.

"I'll wear this." he said. 

"Itachi, talk to me! I'm your best friend! Please, if something is bothering you, you need to tell me!" Itachi still ignored his friend. He sat down on the bed near him and began rummaging through his backpack, only to take out a small, black jewelry case. Deidara's eyes went wide.

"No..Itachi, come on. Don't...you know how bad that is..." Itachi glared at his friend for a moment, then opened the case. Inside was a sharp, gleaming razor. Itachi took the blade and dragged it out across his arm a few times, until blood seeped through the cuts. He wiped any excess blood off of the razor and put it back in it's case.

"Itachi..." Deidara said. He was know on the bed next to him, just staring at the newly made cuts on Itachi's arm. He also saw some old ones. He looked up at Itachi. 

"Come on. You're hurting yourself...I know it was your dad again. Why can't you just talk to me!?" Deidara said in a worried tone.

"Even if I told you what happened, it wouldn't make anything any better." tears started to form in Itachi's eyes. He rarely cried, and he didn't want to show weakness to his best friend, so he held his tears back. But Deidara wasn't an idiot.

"I know you want to cry. Itachi, you need to cry. Please, I don't care. If you don't, all of your feelings will get built up, and you'll explode." Deidara said in a caring voice. Itachi looked at his friend as tears started to roll down his cheeks. He decided to let it all out. 

"Deidara, it was him...again..he was attacking Sasuke-chan this time! Sasuke-chan, of all people! He's only a little kid! And my father hit me too after I saved him..." Itachi leaned on Deidara's shoulder, crying his heart out. "Then this morning, my mom blamed everything on me! Like it was my fault that he got drunk and decided to kick everyone's ass. I don't understand what I did wrong..."

"You did absolutely nothing wrong, Itachi. But what you need to do is tell someone. Like, tell one of the teachers at school, or something. They'll be able to help. Or, we could tell my parents! They like you alot, and they wouldn't hesitate to help you if you were in trouble." Itachi suddenly stoped crying. He looked a little bit angry.

"I can't tell anyone!" he blurted. Itachi shivered at the thought of his father finding out he had told anyone. He would get beaten to a pulp. "Deidara, you have to swear on your life that you wont tell anyone, alright? Promise me." he said sternly.

"But.."

"No buts. You can't tell _anyone_ what I told you. Keep your mouth shut." Itachi said.

"Alright. My lips are sealed." Deidara looked at the clock. "Wow..we've been talking for a while...it's already time to leave..."

Itachi and Deidara gathered their things and hurried off to school.

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Second chappie Reviews? I love reviews!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Yay! Third chapter! I'm glad everyone likes this so far. And I thank everyone who took the time to review. ()  
Hmm. BTW, one of my reviewers gave me a really good idea. I'm gonna try to work it into the story. Ya'll will find out soon enough. ()

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own Naruto. Or Itachi..or Sasuke...because they would need a huge amount of therapy if I did own them ( . ) **I ALSO **do not own the Department of Social Services. They own themselves. ()

**Chapter Rating: **"T-" for VERY mild swearing. ()  
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Itachi and Deidara were now in school, leaning against their lockers. Deidara pulled a black hoodie with a blue skull on the back out from his locker.

"Wear this..so no one sees those cuts.." he whispered. Itachi looked at his arm. During the walk to school, he had forgotten about that. He had so much going on in his head right now. He looked around to see if anyone was looking, then took the hoodie and put it on.

"Thanks." he said.

"No pro--" the sound of the bell ringing cut Deidara off. "Looks like we gotta go to homeroom." Deidara rolled his eyes. He closed his locker and went to his homeroom. Itachi went the opposite way, because they were in different homerooms. When he walked into the classroom, he had noticed that he was late, five minutes, to be exact.

"Sorry, Kakashi-sensei..." he said looking at the ground. He felt embarrassed, due to the fact that his classmates were staring at him.

"Don't worry about it. I'm _always_ late to _everything_." Kakashi said in a calm tone. Itachi smiled slightly and took his seat. 

_"Kakashi-sensei is an awesome person. All my other teachers would've been total ass-hats about that. I wish I could have a father like Kakashi-sensei..." _he thought. A voice came on over the intercom.

"Good Morning. Today is Monday, we start with period 3." Itachi always got so bored with the announcements. "All eighth-grade students will report to the auditorium during period 4, we've got a special presentation this morning." Itachi got excited.

_"I get to miss Math class...nice." _he thought.

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AUDITORIUM TIME!  
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Itachi and Deidara met up in the hall, trying to avoid the crowds of other people pushing and shoving to get into the auditorium. No one really cared what the presentation was about, they were just excited about missing classes. Both Itachi and Deidara picked two seats in the middle row and sat down.

"What do you think it'll be about?" Itachi asked.

"Dunno..." Deidara replied. They looked up to see the principal holding a microphone, introducing someone. She was a tall, thin woman with long brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. Her eyes were an extremely light brown color. She wore a light blue turtle neck, and black dress pants. 

"This is Maria, she works with the Department of Social Services. Please give her your undivided attention." The principle said before handing the microphone over the the woman. She smiled warmly as she began to speak.

"Yes, my name is Maria. I work for the Department of Social Services, and I specialize in helping children about your age. What I am here to tell you all is that you've got help if you need it." A student raised her hand.

"Miss Maria? What do you mean? Help us with what?" the girl asked. Maria smiled again.

"Some children feel uncomfortable or scared. Even in their own home. What I am here for today is to let you all know that a sort of thing like that isn't right. And if something's going on, like, say you're being abused, you need to tell someone right away. Tell a teacher, a guidance counsler, or any other trusted adult. They will call us and take action." she answered.

Deidara shot a quick look at Itachi, who was looking down at the ground.

_"Abused?" _Itachi thought. He didn't want to think of it. When he thought of his home life, he got scared, confused. He also got so pissed off that he felt he needed to bash someone's head in just to get rid of the anger.

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AUDITORIUM TIME IS over.  
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Itachi and Deidara were now in period 5, their Study Hall class. As well as being Itachi's homeroom teacher, Kakashi _also _happened to be his Study teacher. This is why it was Itachi's favorite period of the day.

"Itachi...about the um..assembly..." Deidara began. "I think you should _really_ tell someone. You need help, you and Sasuke can't get out of this alone." he whispered. Itachi glared at him.

"You know I can't tell anyone. Everything will just get worse for me _and_ Sasuke if I do. My dad will probably _kill_ me. And you promised, Deidara. You promised you _wouldn't_ tell, no matter what. You _can't_ break that promise." Itachi whispered back, in a steady voice. Deidara gave Itachi a sad expression then looked down on the floor.

"You're right. I won't break the promise..." he said.

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Both go through rest of school day, then go home.  
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How'd ya'll like the third chapter? I know I LOVED it. () please review!

**A/N:** Hmm. The only reason I gave such a thorough description of the Social Worker that came to Itachi's school was because she's going to be an important person in later chapters. () I also made that character up!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Sorry it took awhile to update. I've been very busy preparing for my sweet sixteen party. I've had to do everything months in advance. And I was also very busy last weekend with the MICCA competition and Ring Dance...but I'm back now so that's good.

**DISCLIAMER:** I don't own Naruto. I also don't own Britney Spears or ANY of her songs. Those all belong to her.  
**Chapter Rating:** "T" for mild violence and swearing.

I wanted to say thank you to ALL of my reviewers, because really, I wouldn't be motivated to write more chapters if you guys hadn't reveiwed! Thanks!  
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"Goodbye, Deidara!" Itachi said, waving to his friend. School was over now and Itachi couldn't wait to get home. He just wanted to see his little brother. Itachi walked up to his front steps and opened the door. Out of nowhere, Sasuke jumped out and surprised him, jumping on top of him. 

"Itachi! You're home!!" Sasuke said in a loud, excited tone. He smiled and hugged his brother tightly. Itachi hugged him back.

"Sasuke-chan, how much sugar did you eat today? You are so hyper!" He said, laughing. "Not that I don't think it's cute." Sasuke gave him puppy dog eyes in an attempt to look even cuter.

"Itachi! Let's go up into my room and hang out! We never do that anymore!" Sasuke took Itachi by the arm and lead him upstairs into his room. Once they were there, Sasuke took out a stereo and a few CDs. "Let's be cool and dance around the room like we used to!" He said, picking up a Britney Spears CD and placing it in the stereo. Itachi laughed.

"Aren't those mom's CDs? I didn't think you liked Britney Spears! Unless you have a crush on someone! Haha!" Itachi teased. This was the happiest he was feeling all week. He was always happy when he spent time with his brother. Then, the music started playing. Sasuke started to sing along.

"Oops! I did it again. I played with your heart! Blah blah I don't know the rest of the words!" He began dancing like an idiot all around his room and Itachi joined him.

"This is ssoooo much fun, Itachi!" Sasuke said, gasping for air. He was dancing pretty fast so he lost his breath. He finally got tired and went to turn off the music. As he was walking toward the stereo to turn it off, he suddenly fell to the ground, holding his stomach. He looked like he was in an immense amount of pain. Itachi ran over to him quickly, only stopping to turn the music off.

"Sasuke-chan! What's wrong!? What happened!??" Itachi was a bit confused. He was watching Sasuke the whole entire time, and nothing bad had happened to him to cause the pain he was now enduring. He held his little brother in his arms, stroking his hair, trying to calm him down. Sasuke looked up at Itachi to reveal streams of hot tears flowing down his cheeks.

"Sasuke-chan, how'd you get hurt?" Sasuke hesitated to answer at first, but then he slowly opened his mouth.

"Mom."

Itachi's eyes widened. He could imagine his father doing this, but his mom? She had never tried to hit him. He didn't know that she ever tried to hit Sasuke either, because Sasuke never said anything.

"What happened." He said in a serious tone. His blood was already starting to boil, thinking of her going after someone as defenseless as Sasuke. Sasuke was starting to look a bit scared.

"It was..after you left to Diedara-kun's house..." He said, holding his stomach. "She was really mad. And she started throwing things and breaking them.." he paused a moment. His stomach really did hurt, and it was making it hard for him to talk. "Then she started yelling at me, So I ran up into my room. And then she came in and started.." Sasuke paused again and coughed. A good amount of blood splattered on the floor. "She kept kicking me in my tummy, over and over again. She wouldn't stop..." He coughed again.

Itachi carefully moved Sasuke's arms from his stomach and lifted his shirt up a bit. There were large black n' blue bruises. At this point, Itachi wasn't sure whether he'd be able to contain his anger any longer. Now, it wasn't only his father he hated, his mother fit pretty well into that category now.

"After a few hours..my tummy felt better...but after all this dancing, things have started to act up again..." he said, clutching his stomach once more. Itachi picked up his brother and put him down in his bed. He tucked him in.

"I want you to stay here and rest. Try not to get up too much, okay?" Sasuke nodded to Itachi then he left the room. Itachi ran down the stairs in an angry rage. When he got downstairs, he marched into the living room where his mother was. His father was there too. Aparently he got home from work early. Itachi started to yell. He didn't care if his father was right there.

"You...You stupid bitch! How dare you hurt Sasuke-chan like that!!? He's only little! And I bet he didn't do a thing to deserve it either!!" His mother just looked up at him, then his father stood up. He looked very mad.

"You two have been out of control lately. The only way I know how to deal with you is to give you a beating. It _always_ works on Sasuke. He shuts right up." She said calmly. Itachi was furious. He wasn't playing around anymore. He was going to get revenge.

"Sharingan!" Itachi yelled. He had activated the Uchiha Clan's most sacred technique. His eyes turned a blood red color, black swirls encircling his pupils. A split second after that, he lundged at his mother, only to be stopped by his father. His father had him by the wrist.

"Itachi, stop being a little asshole! You see! This is why your mother and I do what we do!!" He yelled, twisting Itachi's wrist. All of them heard a loud, cracking sound, then the sound of painful screaming.

"Ooowwww--Oh my-FUCKING GOD!!" His father had twisted Itachi's wrist in such a way that it actually broke. The pain was unbearable, his mind was spinning.

"Honey..you shouldn't have gone _that_ far.." Itachi's mother said.

"Kid needed to be taught a lesson." He argued. Itachi was let go and he ran as quickly as he could up into Sasuke's room. As much as he hated to admit it, Itachi was afraid. He wasn't going to let this go on any longer. Now he _knew_ that he needed to find help.

"Sasuke-chan..wake up..we're leaving." Sasuke rubbed his eyes and yawned as Itachi began packing some clothes in a backpack. Sasuke's eyes went wide when he noticed Itachi's limp wrist, swollen and bruised wrist.

"Oh no...Itachi! They..." Itachi took Sasuke with his non-broken hand and opened the window.

"I'll tell you later. We're going to Deidara's house. Be quiet." Both the boys snuck out the window.

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How was that? I think this may be _my_ favorite chapter so far...

Please review! Thank you!


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Heyy everyone! I was a bit dissapointed when writing this chapter. I had it all typed out on Wordpad and saved. Then, a few days later, I come to discover that someone had deleted it! I was very mad. So I had to rewrite it. ALL OVER AGAIN. But please read and enjoy 

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Naruto. I don't own DSS either.

**Chapter Rating:** "T" Just because...

I also (again) wanted to thank the reviewers, especially KyuubiInuzuka and her friend. Thanks you guys! Thanks to everybody else!  
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Itachi held tightly onto his little brother's hand, letting his other hand hang limply at his side as they were running. His eyes twitched and his head was spinning as the pain from his broken wrist shot up his arm. He tried to forget about it, because it was not nearly as important as what he was doing right now. He needed to get Sasuke to safety, and that mas all that mattered. He wasn't going to let a broken wrist get in the way of that.

"Itachi! Please slow down!! You're practically dragging me!!" Sasuke yelled. Itachi turned his head slightly, still running. 

"Sasuke-chan, we have to get out of here, fast! There's no time to lose! If Mom and Dad find out we're running away, who knows what they'll do!" Itachi said, pulling his brother as he ran. Sasuke stopped running, which almost made Itachi stop short.

"Sasuke-chan, what are you doing!?" He yelled. Sasuke looked down at the ground, tears starting to form in his eyes. Itachi gasped, he didn't mean to yell at him like that.

"Sorry, Sasuke-chan..I didn't mean to--" Sasuke cut him off. 

"No..not you.." He said shakily. He gripped his tummy because it started to hurt again. "It's all my fault..." Itachi's eyes widened. 

"What? What's your fault..?" he asked. 

"Mommy said it was all my fault that all this started happening. She said it was because I'm not a good boy anymore..." sasuke wiped his eyes and looked up at Itachi. Itachi bent down a little and wrapped his arms around Sasuke. 

"Sasuke-chan, please..don't talk like that. None of this is your fault. Not yours, not mine, but theirs. They're just trying to make you feel guilty so they don't have to." Itachi stood up and took Sasuke's hand again. 

"We have to hurry up." he said, and they both went running to Deidara's house. 

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AT DEIDARA"S HOUSE  
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"Finally. We made it." Itachi said. He let go of Sasuke's hand and knocked on the door. They both saw Deidara looking out the window and then saw him rushing to the door. 

"Itachi! Sasuke! What are you two doing here?" He motioned with his hand for them to come inside, so they did. Deidara's eyes were fixated on Itachi's limp, swollen, bruised wrist. 

"Itachi, what happened to you?" he asked, pointing to Itachi's broken wrist. 

"What do you think happened..." Itachi replied, looking at the ground. 

"Oh no..." Deidara thought. "Hey, Sasuke! You go sit in the living room, I think I have some videogames you can play!" he said. Then he looked at Itachi. "You, come with me. I've gotta show my mom your wrist. She's a nurse ya'know." Itachi nodded and followed Deidara into his parent's room. 

"Oh, Itachi! I haven't seen you in a while! How are you? How's your brother?" Deidara's mother asked, smiling. Deidara looked a bit annoyed. 

"Mom, Itachi's hurt and we need your help. His wrist is broken." he said calmly. Deidara's mother quickly rushed over to Itachi and checked out his wrist. 

"Itachi, what happened to cause this?" she asked, holding Itachi's wrist in her hand. 

"My dad broke it." he answered bluntly. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped wide open. 

"Deidara, go get your father, and while you're at it get the first aid kit that's in the bathroom! Hurry!" Deidara rushed into another room and told his father to come into the room that his mother was in. Then he grabbed the first aid kit and ran back into the room. He also brought an ice-pack to put on Itachi's wrist. 

"Itachi, I want you to hold the ice-pack on your wrist while I prepare everything else, alright?" Itachi nodded. Deidara's mother and father went into another room to talk. Deidara stayed in his parent's room with Itachi. 

"So Deidara wasn't lying..Itachi really is being abused." she said. 

"I can't believe we didn't believe him...poor Itachi. We need to do something about this." Deidara's father said. 

"That also means Sasuke's in danger too. Do you think we should call DSS?" Diedara's father nodded at that statement and reached for the phone. Deidara's mother wnet back into the other room to bandage Itachi's wrist up. 

"Now, this may hurt a bit, I need to apply some pressure." she said, wrapping the bandages around Itachi's wrist. It really didn't hurt as much as he thought it would, due to the fact that it had been partially numbed by the ice. "There. All done. Deidara, will you and Itachi please go in the living room and play or something? Your father and I have some things to take care of." she asked. Deidara nodded and they both joined Sasuke in the living room. 

"Itachi! look, I'm winning the game!! Look, look, look!" Sasuke said excitedly. Itachi smiled. 

There was a sudden knock at the door. Three loud knocks. Itachi's heart started pounding. He was scared that it was their father. Diedara opened the door to reveal not Itachi's parents, but someone else. It was the social worker that was at the school earlier. 

"Hello. Are your parents home?" she asked. 

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This chapter was a bit too short, I'm sorry! I'm also sorry the updates have been rather slow, I've been focusing on school so much because my grades are going down the drain O.o So I've had to devote all my time to homework so my 4th Quarter grades don't suck.  
But, I've just started April vacation, so I'll be able to write more chapters during this coming week.  
Please review!


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Gosh. I'm really glad everyone likes this story. Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing! Because when Katlyn gets reviews, Katlyn gets happy. And when Katlyn gets happy, she gives all her reveiwers cupcakes. Only not really.

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Naruto. Because if I did, I would bring Sasuke's parents back to life, and kill them all over again. I never really liked them that much. I also don't own DSS. Oh. I don't own the Lifetime channel either.

Yeah, You all know the chapters are always going to be rated "T". If otherwise, I'll let you know.

Oh, just a friendly reminder in case you all forgot the social worker's name. Her name's Maria. w00t!

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"Can we please speak to your parents, little boy?" Maria asked. Deidara sort of glared.

"I'm thirteen years old. I'm not a little boy." He answered. Maria smiled at him.

"Can I please speak to your parents?" She asked once more. Deidara opened the door wider and invited her in. He led her into his parent's room, where his mother and father were. Then he went back to Itachi and Sasuke.

"That's the DSS lady who came to our school..." Itachi said, his voice slightly shaky. Deidara nodded.

"Yeah. Well...my dad called them. Itachi, you need help. You_ and_ Sasuke, or..or you'll probably end up _dead_. You know, like those kids in those Lifetime movies or something. You'll get beaten to death!" Diedara said, trying not to be so loud as to arouse the social workers attention in the next room. Itachi glared at his friend.

"What do you think will happen when they find out I told, huh? It'll be even worse than before!" Itachi said loudly. Just then, Maria and Deidara's parents were in the living room.

"You must be Itachi." she smiled sweetly. "I need to speak with you and your little brother. Privately." she finished. Itachi nodded and took his little brother by the hand and followed Maria into a different room. They both sat down at a table.

"What happened to your wrist, sweetie?" she asked. By now the swelling had gone down a bit, due to the ice earlier. But the bandages were quite visible. Itachi's throat began to get dry.

"I hurt it." he answered. Itachi was getting nervous. He didn't know what to say or do in this situation, for he had never dealt with a social worker before. He was scared that he might say something wrong.

"I know you hurt it. But I want to know _how_ you hurt it. Can you tell me, please?" she asked nicely. Maria had dealt with many children in Itachi's position before. She knew how he broke his wrist, but for legal purposes, she needed a confession, which is why she also had a tape recorder on the table. She didn't want to scare either of the boys but she needed the information.

Sasuke looked at Maria strangely.

"What's that thing for?" he asked, pointing at the tape recorder. Maria sighed.

"It's something we use to record people's voices on, sweetie. Like..like, um...like if you were on the radio!" she told him, not wanting to tell the truth, in fear of scaring him. Itachi rolled his eyes.

"Now, please, Itachi. Please tell me how you hurt your--" Sasuke had interrupter Maria.

"If Itachi tells you, he's gonna get in trouble again. Because Mom and Dad will hear him on the radio, right?" he said, pointing to the tape recorder again. "They'd hit him again." Sasuke quickly covered his mouth in fear. "Oops..they'll hear me now, too!"

"Sasuke-chan, you shouldn't have..." Itachi began. Maria cut him off.

"Itachi. Your parent's are hurting you, aren't they? Sasuke too, I know. I spoke with your little blonde friend's parents. Boys, that sort of thing isn't right. A parent should never, under no circumstances hurt their child. And I am here to help. This is none of your fault, Itachi. Same goes for you, Sasuke." she said calmly. On the other hand, Itachi was anything _but_ calm. His heart was racing, his palms were sweating and he felt as if he was going to vomit.

"It dosn't matter. What are you going to do? They're only going to beat us to a pulp when we get home. And someone like _you _could never stand a chance against our father." said Itachi. Maria looked at Sasuke and smiled.

"Sasuke, hunny, could you please go into the other room? I need to discuss some things with your brother." she asked. Sasuke looked over at Itachi.

"What am I suppossed tp do??" he asked impatiently.

"Go play with Deidara or something." he said, pointing in the direction of the living room. Sasuke got up and went to see Deidara.

"Well, the first thing we are going to do is find somewhere for you and Sasuke to stay. Your safety is our top priority. I've already talked to Deidara's parents, and they said you could stay as long as you need to. The next thing we need to do is get your parents. I will bring Police as reinforcement, as I'm sure they will not comply with what I say." she told him.

"Is that all? So I won't ever have to see my parents again?" he asked.

"No, Itachi. This process takes a while, a few months at the most. You will stay here with your brother until we find you a permanent household. You and Sasuke will also be expected to show up in Federal Court, so we can charge your parents with child abuse. The sad truth is, you _will_ have to see your parents again. I'm sorry."

"Whatever...as long as I don't have to live there..." he said, rolling his eyes. Inside, he was actually quite worried about the whole experience. When the conversation was done, both of them got up and went into the living room. She looked at Deidara's parents.

"I will be back tomorrow. Take care!" she said, opening the door and letting herself out.

Itachi was scared shitless. He knew he was going to have trouble sleeping tonight.

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Sooo sorry that this was another short chapter! But please review!

**Deidara:** Wow. I'd never thought I'd become such a big part of the story. Yeah.

**Me:** It's cuz I love you, Dei-kun...(huggles)

**Itachi:** I want a hug too...

**Sasuke: **Meeee toooo!

**Me:** No. Only Deidara gets hugs. None for you, Uchiha dudes!

**Deidara:** w00t for me!!

**Sasuke & Itachi:** Dammit...


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Oh wow. I've already thought up a sequel for this story. (Well, when THIS one is done, at least) i'm not telling you what it is though!

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Naruto.

**I love Uchihas. Just thought I'd let you all know that 3**

**KEY--**

_"text"-_ thoughts, dreams, or emphasis

"text"- normal

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_"What am I doing back home? I thought I was at Deidara's house..." Itachi said to himself, wandering down the hall. It was silent. All he could hear was his own footsteps, but the air was thick with the scent of blood. So thick, that when Itachi inhaled, he could taste it. He started to hear muffled screams. Itachi followed the screams. They led him into Sasuke's room, where Sasuke and his parents were._

_"Ahhh--PLEASE! PLEASE STOP, IT HURTS!!" Sasuke screamed, writhing in pain. He struggled to get back up on his feet. Once he was able to stand up, he was knocked back down again._

_"Stay where you belong, you worthless peice of shit!" his father said, punching Sasuke hard in the stomach. He choked out a rather large amount of blood and tears started falling from his swollen eyes._

_It was then that Itachi found out why he could smell the blood so well. It was splattered all over the walls. But his mother and father carried no wounds. Sasuke, however, had a big gash on his forhead and on his chest. Itachi looked over to his mother. There she was, beside Sasuke, a sharp knife clenched in her right hand._

_"Didn't you hear him!? He told you to stop it!! Get away from him!!" Itachi yelled furiously. He charged straight at his mother, who seemed to him to be the bigger threat, as she was holding the knife. When he was close enough to grab the knife, he reached for it. Only one problem._

_"What the fuck!?" He yelled, at his hand went through the knife (and his mother's hand) like it was a hologram. Both Itachi's parents couldn't hear him, nor see him. It was like it wasn't even real, even though Itachi could hear the screams, smell the blood. But he couldn't stop his parent's from what they were about to do._

_"This is what you get for being a bad boy!" their mother yelled, the knife swiftly coming down and meeting the flesh of Sasuke's stomach. It tore open, blood gushing out everywhere. Itachi's eyes welled up with tears as Sasuke begged for her to stop. _

_"Please, Mommy! Stop hurting me!" he pleaded, as the knife was plunged into his left arm. "I'm sorry for being a bad boy!!"_

_"NO! STOP IT!!!" Itachi fell to the ground on his knees, holding his head in anguish. "STOP HURTING SASUKE-CHAN!!" Normally, Itachi would step in and try to prevent such things from happening. But in this case, he couldn't do anything. He'd already tried. It was like he wasn't even there._

_Itachi's father just stood there watching as she stabbed a few more times. Sasuke was close to death. Blood had been splattered all over the place._

_"You have anything to say to me before you die?" the knife-weilding psycho asked. After coughing up a bit more blood, Sasuke opened his mouth to speak._

_"Why didn't you save me...Itachi?" Sasuke's eyes closed._

"NOOOO!!!!!!" Itachi shot up and yelled into the air. His eyes widened. He had woken up in Deidara's bed. On the left to him was Deidara, to the right, Sasuke. Itachi breathed heavily in and out, wiping sweat off his forehead. He looked over at his little brother who was still sleeping.

"Sasuke-chan..you're still here. Then...it was just a dream...I'm so glad you're alive.." he whispered, stroking Sasuke's cheek. Sasuke shifted in the bed a little, and nuzzled toward his brother. Itachi put his arm around Sasuke to keep him warm.

"_No one_ will _ever_ hurt you while I'm around, Sasuke-chan..." Itachi mumbled before drifting back to sleep.

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MORNING

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Deidara was the first to wake up. It was a Saturday, and he usually never woke up this early. He heard people talking in the other room. Deidara decided to wake up Itachi and Sasuke.

"Hey..HEY! Itachi! Wake up!! You too, Sasuke! I think someone's here!" he said semi-quietly. Itachi sat straight up in the bed, while Sasuke barely lifted his head and rubbed at his eyes.

"I dun wanna geh up..." Sasuke said, his speech slightly slurred from exhaustion. itachi and Deidara snickered.

"Sasuke-chan, go back to sleep. Deidara and I will go see what's going on." he said, a smile spread across his face. Deidara and Itachi got up out of the bed and went to peek around the corner to spy on whoever was speaking with Deidara's parents. When they saw who it was, both their jaws dropped wide open.

"No..." Itachi took a step back. "It's _them._ They're here..." he said. It was Itachi's parents. They looked furious, but they weren't yelling...yet. The boys listened in on the conversation.

"We got a call from the Department of Social Services. They said we are going to be put under investigation and that our sons were being kept here." Itachi's father said in an angry voice.

((**A/N:** The only reason the DSS told the parents about the Uchiha brothers' location was for legal purposes. Because they could probably be charged with some form of kiddnapping if they didn't tell them. Remember, Itachi and Sasuke are still in the parents' custody.))

"You called them, didn't you!? You have no business in what goes on in our family!" Itachi's mother yelled, raising her voice. Sasuke awoke from the light sleep he was previously in. He got up and stood a few inches away from Deidara and Itachi. Itachi glared at Sasuke.

"Sasuke-chan, go back to sleep!" he whispered.

"I can't! That's Mommy's voice! I know it! Can we go see her, please!!?" Sasuke asked.

"No!" Itachi demanded. Sasuke was young. Of course he would still be attatched to his mother, because besides Itachi, he had no one else. But Itachi couldn't let Sasuke's emotions cloud his judgement. He held onto Sasuke's wrist as tightly as he could.

"You're not going anywhere." he said.

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Please forgive me for ending the chapter! I'm sorry it's short and blah blah blah. I just need to get to sleep. ((It's 1:03AM for goodness sake!)) Please review!


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Thanks to everyone for all the great reviews! I'm so glad that all of you like this story!

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Naruto. Or the DSS.

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"Itachi! I want to see Mommy!" Sasuke yelled. His voice was loud enough for their parents to hear him in the next room.

"Sasuke!" their mother yelled, making her way into Deidara's room. Before she could get into the room, Deidara's mother stepped in the way.

"Mr. and Mrs. Uchiha. Get OUT of my house. We'll call the police. We're not going to let you hurt these boys anymore." she said sternly. Itachi's mother ignored her.

"I want to see my baby!" she began struggling to get through so she could take hold of Sasuke's hand. Deidara's mother held her ground. Just then, Itachi caught a glimpse of what was going on in the living room. His father and Deidara's father were yelling now. He couldn't really hear much over his mother's yelling though.

"Deidara! Itachi! Sasuke! I want all of you to go upstairs into the attic! Lock yourselves in until I say otherwise!" she yelled back to them, struggling to keep Itachi's mother from getting through. Itachi grabbed Sasuke's hand and started to drag him as they ran. Sasuke looked back at his mother.

"Nii-san, I want to see Mommy! Why won't you let me--" Itachi cut him off.

"She's dangerous, Sasuke-chan! So is Dad! We can't stay with them anymore!" He continued to drag Sasuke down the hall until all three boys were at the bottom of the stairs that led to the attic.

"Alright, let's go." Deidara said, leading the boys. Once they all got situated, they locked the door and sat down. Sasuke sat in Itachi's lap, crying. He was scared. Actually, all three of them were scared, but Sasuke was the only one showing it. From upstairs, they could hear all the yelling, the screaming...not to mention they could hear things being smashed and thrown around.

"It's ok Sasuke-chan. Everything will be better soon, I promise..." Itachi said, stroking Sasuke's hair.

"Yeah, it'll be fine Sasuke!" Deidara tried to cheer him up. Sasuke was still not convinced. He buried his face into Itachi's chest and cried even harder.

"T-This isn't f-fair, Itachi! W-Why don't we have a n-nice family like everyone else!?" Itachi couldn't answer his brother. He didn't really know what to say. He'd been wondering that same question for years and he never got an answer. He just sat there, holding onto Sasuke as tightly as he could. Because now, that was all he had.

Within a few minutes, the boys could hear sirens. Lots of them. They were very loud, and it scared Sasuke even more. But it was reassuring to Itachi.

_"We're safe now..."_ he thought. They could hear people yelling: "Get down!", "Put handcuffs on them!" and "Get them out of the house!" Within a few more minutes, a few police officers had come up to get the boys. Deidara and Itachi were alright, while Sasuke was a nervous wreck. Tears streamed down his cheeks. He gripped Itachi's hand as tight as he could.

"Are you three alright?" one of the officers asked. Itachi nodded and the three of them were led into the living room. Itachi's parents were outside, in separate cop cars. Deidara's parents were outside talking to a few officers. Now they were all alone in the room.

"Will Sasuke be alright?" Deidara asked, looking at Itachi. Itachi shrugged, hugging his little brother closer to his chest. Sasuke looked up.

"I-I don't wanna go back. Never again." Sasuke said, wiping the tears away from his swollen eyes. Itachi mentally smiled. Sasuke finally understood that they couldn't go back. Now it wouldn't be so hard for him.

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This chapter is really short, I know...I'm sorry. I've been concentrating so hard on school and I've been having major family problems. Please review!


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** Sorry it took so long to update. I've been having alot of family/school problems and it's gotten in the way of stuff.

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Naruto.

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Itachi, Sasuke, and Deidara were on the floor of Deidara's bedroom, the lights turned off. Deidara held up a flashlight to his face and grinned creepily. Sasuke yawned.

"I want to go to sleep." Sasuke said, standing up and making his way to Deidara's bed. It was around ten o' clock at night now, and the incident that happened earlier with the Uchihas' parents had been pushed to the back of their minds for now.

"Aww, Come on! I was about to tell a really scary story!" Deidara whined. He grabbed Itachi by the arm. "Come on Itachi! You know _you_ wanna hear the story. You're not tired yet!" he laughed. Itachi faked a yawn and pretended to fall asleep on Deidara's shoulder.

"Itachi, that's not funny!" Deidara said. Itachi couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Shhh! I'm trying to sleep!" Sasuke said, lifting his head a few inches from the pillow.

"Sorry, Sasuke-chan!" Itachi said, his laughter dying down.

"Hey, Itachi!" Deidara whispered. "Let's go into the living room and watch some TV...we can get ice cream too!" Itachi nodded. The boys left the room and closed the door behind them. Deidara's parents were sleeping so they tried their best to be quiet. Deidara opened the refrigerator and took out a bottle of chocolate syrup.

He got ice cream out of the freezer while Itachi got a bag of marshmallows from the cabinet. They each took out bowls and began making their ice cream. Itachi looked over at Deidara and smiled. Apparently, Itachi must've been staring at Diedara for quite a long time becuase Deidara had a really wierd look on his face.

"Why are you staring at me?" he asked, not paying attention to the fact that he was getting chocolate syrup all over the counter. Itachi looked back down.

"I'm just glad you and I are friends." he said. Deidara nodded.

"Same here." Both boys took their bowls and went into the living room and sat down on the couch. Deidara took the remote and turned on the television.

"What do you want to watch?" he asked, scooping a big spoonful of ice cream into his mouth.

"I don't really care...anything's fine." Soon, both boys finished their ice cream and were struggling to stay awake. Itachi yawned and fell asleep, his head in Deidara's lap. Just before Deidara was about to fall asleep, he stroked the side of Itachi's face with his index finger.

"I love you." he whispered, and then drifted off to sleep.

NEXT MORNING

It was Monday, Itachi and Deidara woke up on the couch, realizing that they had to go to school. Sasuke had already been up, and so had Deidara's parents.

"You guys are gonna be late to school if you don't hurry up and get dressed." Deidara's father said.

"Yeah, yeah..." Deidara said, draggin Itachi into his room. The boys got changed, got Sasuke and headed off to the Ninja Academy to drop off Sasuke.

"Bye Sasuke-chan! Have a good day!" Itachi said as Sasuke went through the academy doors. Itachi and Deidara proceeded to their own school.

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Yeah. This chapter had a little twist. Looks like Deidara and Itachi are fallin' in love Hey, I don't see anything wrong with falling in love with your best friend, and Itachi needs all the love he can get!

Another thing. People have been asking me to write longer chapters. I understand that you guys don't like to read chapters that are like, three sentences long but, writing stories takes alot of creativity and imagination. Which, I don't have much of at the moment. I have more important things to worry about like passing the tenth grade. I'm pretty sure that once school is done the chapters will be longer and stuffs.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** YAY! Chapter 10! I didn't think this story would reach 10 chapters. YAAAAAYYYY!!!!! Oh. There's a question that keeps popping up in my reviews asking whether or not that the Uchiha brothers have been getting beaten by their parents since they were little, or if it was just some "out-of-the-blue" thing. Ok. They got abused since they were little kids. Yep.

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Naruto.

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Deidara and Itachi reached their school, and went to their classes. Just as Itachi's first period class had started, a message came over the intercom.

"Will Uchiha Itachi please come down to the Guidance Office."

Itachi slowly got up from his seat and walked out of his classroom, down the staircase and into the Guidance Office. When he got there, there were a few people already in the room. There was Maria the social worker, Kara the guidance counsler, and Bob the principal. Itachi started to get really nervous.

_"Why are all these people here?"_ he thought.

"Sit down, Itachi. There are some things we need to discuss." Bob said. Itachi nodded, taking a seat that was farthest from the three adults. Maria opened her mouth.

"Itachi, the law requires that I inform the victim's school about what is happening in a situation like this. I told the Head of the Ninja Academy also, for Sasuke." Itachi got a little mad at this. He didn't want the whole world to know about his problem.

"I don't see why _they_ have to know..." Itachi said sarcastically. Kara raised an eyebrow, opened her mouth to say something, and was interrupted by Bob. Bob, unlike Kara and Maria, wasn't ver fond of Itachi. He thought of the Uchiha as an attention-seeking troublemaker, since he and Diedara were frequent visitors to the detention room.

"Listen up, Uchiha. Stop acting like a little brat. Just do what you're told for once." Bob said. Maria gave Bob a dirty look.

"That is no way to talk toa student. We're here to help Itachi, not make things worse for him." she said. Itachi smirked. Kara began to speak again.

"Now what Maria and I think you should do is come down here once a week. You know, just to talk and share how you feel. It would really help alot." Kara said. Itachi shook his head.

"You just want me to spill my guts, don't you? You're gonna wait until I say the wrong thing so when we go to court, you can convince the judge to put me in some foster home."

"No, Itachi! That's not it!" Maria tried to explain. Itachi got up out of his seat in an angry rage.

"Don't lie to me." he said, leaving the room.

"You brat! Get back he--" Bob was interrupted by Maria, who shot him another mean look.

"Let him go." she said.

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LUNCH TIME yay!

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Itachi and Deidara found a table and sat together like they always did. Deidara smiled at him.

"How are you, Ita-chan?" he asked. Itachi raised an eyebrow.

"Ita-chan?" Itachi repeated, confused.

"It's your new nickname, yeah." Deidara brushed Itachi's bangs out of his face. "I think it's cute." Itachi stuck out his tounge.

"It's girly, Deidara!" he said playfully. Deidara laughed a bit.

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AFTER SCHOOL

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Deidara and Itachi walked to Deidara's house. Every few minutes, Deidara would look over at Itachi, just staring at him while they walked.

_"He's so beautiful."_ he thought. It took every ounce of will power Deidara had to keep from reaching out and holding Itachi's hand.

"Umm...Deidara?" Itachi said, his voice pulling Deidara out of his little fantasy.

"Hmm, yeah?" he blushed a little bit when his eyes met Itachi's eyes.

"Why are you um...staring at me..?" Itachi asked. He didn't notice the blush spread across Deidara's face even though he was looking straight at him.

"Um..Oh! Just spacing out I guess! Nothing to worry about, yeah." he answered. Itachi nodded and the boys proceeded to walk home.

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I made this chapter a bit longer...I think. Anyways, I think the ItaDei-ness is really cute

Please review!


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Oh gosh! It's been a long time since I've updated. I think maybe 3 months X I'm terribly sorry for this, I just had alot to deal with and such. I'm not gonna go into my personal life with you guys because that'd take too long. But yeahhhhh I'm back with TWO new chapters! It was originally going to be three new chapters, but, i had a bad case of writers block. Once again, I am so terribly sorry about not updating sooner! OH! This chapter is DEDICATED to LolaClarkson D

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto. Or anything else. Except for this fic.

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Itachi and Deidara sat in Deidara's room with the door locked. They didn't need to pick up Sasuke after school because Deidara's parents had already done so. They took Sasuke to the store with them to buy groceries, so the house was empty, with the exception of Deidara and Itachi.

"Ita-chan..." Deidara said. He grabbed Itachi's wrist and pushed up the sleeve, revealing bright red slashes all over the plae skin. Itachi looked down, not wanting to face his friend.

"You're cutting again. Why." It sounded more like a demand than a question. Itachi pulled his wrist away.

"Answer me, Ita-chan." Deidara put his hand on Itachi's shoulder. Itachi lifted his head to meet Deidara's bright blue eyes.

"I can't help it..." Itachi took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "All of this...I mean, everything that's been going on..it's all so overwhelming. This was the only way I could make the pain go away."

"Ita-chan! You're hurting yourself even more, yeah!" Itachi's eyes averted. He did not want to look into Deidara's eyes. They seemed almost...threatening.

"Why does it matter if I cut or not!? Why the hell do you care!!?" Itachi yelled. Deidara put his hand over Itachi's hand. This was his chance to make a move on the boy he loved.

"It matters because I love you!" Just then, Deidara moved in and pressed his lips against Itachi's, running his tongue along his bottom lip. Itachi pulled away quickly, showing Deidara the bright red of his cheeks.

"Why'd you do that?" Itachi asked, putting his fingers to his lips. Deidara smiled a little.

"Because I love you. I already said that." Deidara whispered. He was about to move in for another kiss, but Itachi pulled away. Deidara looked at him in confusion.

"You can't love me. You're a boy...I'm a boy...I'm not gay." Itachi said, getting up from the bed.

"Where are you going!?" Deidara raised his voice, watching Itachi make his way for the door.

"I don't know." Just as Itachi was about to unlock the door, Deidara grabbed him by the arm and pulled him into a tight embrace.

"Just listen towhat I have to say!" Deidara exclaimed, tightening his grip on Itachi. Itachi turned around, freeing himself from his friend.

"Listen to what!? Deidara, I'm already going through enough right now! I don't need to deal with people going around school calling me a fag! I don't want to deal with people wondering whether or not I take it up the ass! I don't want to deal with YOU!" Itachi yelled before storming out of the room. He ran into the bathroom and locked the door. He sat down on the floor and leaned the back of his head against the door. Seconds after, Deidara was banging on the door.

"Itachi! Open the door!" Deidara yelled.

"NO!" Itachi replied.

"I need to talk to you!"

"I don't want to talk to you! Just go away!" Deidara kept banging on the door, to the point that his hands started to hurt.

"I said GO AWAY!" Itachi yelled into the door. Suddenly, Deidara stopped banging.

"Just tell me one thing, Itachi. Do you love me the way that I love you?" he asked calmly. They were both silent for a few moments. Itachi unlocked the door and practically knocked over Deidara. Itachi wrapped his arms around Deidara tightly and cried into his shirt.

"I love you so much Deidara! I'm so sorry!" he cried. "I really do love you!!" Deidara brought Itachi back into the bedroom and they both sat back down on the bed. He held Itachi in his arms, stroking his hair and trying to comfort him.

"It's alright, Ita-chan. It's ok. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you. Not your Mom, not your Dad, or anyone else. I love you so much." Itachi held onto his love as tightly as he could. He had finally stopped crying. He felt so comforted right now.

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Please review! I LOVE YOU ALL!!!


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Chapter 12!? Wow. I never thought I'd write something this long...In fact, I think i said the same thing when I introduced chapter 10. Anways, all of you who reviewed and waited patiently until my return, you guys rock, and thank you!

DISCLAIMER: Do I own Naruto? No.

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Itachi had fallen asleep in Deidara's arms. They were both sleeping on the bed with small smiles on their faces. Sasuke and Deidara's parents had already come home while the two boys were asleep. Sasuke bursted into the room and jumped onto the boys, waking them up.

"Itachi! Deidara! Waaake up! Come on, let's play!!!" Sasuke laughed. Deidara sat up and yawned, while Itachi tackled his little brother and started tickling him.

"Come on, Deidara! Let's teach Sasuke-chan a lesson for waking us up!" Deidara nodded and joined Itachi.

"Hahahaha! Ita--stop!! It tickles!" Sasuke squirmed beneath his brother and Deidara. They were all laughing and having fun when suddenly, the phone rang. Deidara's mom answeredit and ran toward the room that the boys were in. She peeked her head in through the door and held up the cordless phone.

"Itachi, hun, it's your um, father. He's calling from jail. I would've just hung up on him but Maria said he could file some sort of a lawsuit if we didn't let him talk to you and Sasuke." she said. Itachi rolled his eyes and took the phone, and she went back to whatever she was doing. Itachi hesitated to speak at first.

"...Hello?"

"Itachi. It's your father."

"I know."

"Listen to me, kid. You better have not told that dumbass social worker anything else. When we go to court, I swear if you testify against me and your mother...you and Sasuke will regret it!" Hearing this, Itachi couldn't speak. He was terrified. All the horrible memories of being abused had rushed back at that one moment. He felt like his lungs had collapsed and tears were streaming down his cheeks. Seeing how upset Itachi was, Deidara grabbed the phone out of Itachi's hand and exploded.

"Listen you fucking bastard! I swear if you ever go near Itachi and Sasuke, I'll cut your dick off and shove it down your throat! You don't want to fucking mess with me because I'll fucking _kill_ you!!!" Deidara yelled into the phone before hanging up. He looked at Itachi, who was still shaking. Sasuke was crying too. Deidara rushed to Itachi's side and took him in his arms. He kissed his forehead.

"I told you. No one's going to hurt you anymore." Sasuke jumped up and clung to Deidara's arm. "You guys are safe here." he said.

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NEXT DAY -- AT SCHOOL

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Itachi and Deidara hung out near Deidara's locker before homeroom class.

"Itachi...I've got a question, yeah..."

"Hmm? What is it?" Itachi asked.

"Well, umm...you and me, un, are we...boyfriends now?" Itachi smiled and took Deidara's hand in his own.

"Of course we are. We love each other, right?" The two boys were interrupted by a group of other boys in their grade.

"What're you two _fags_ doing!?" The leader of the group said, after seeing Itachi take Deidara's hand.

"Ya' know, that sort of thing is really gross! No one likes gay people!" someone else in the group said. Deidara smirked at them.

"Ya' know what else is _really gross_?" he said, trying not to laugh. Then Itachi yelled, "YOUR FACE!" The leader of the group picked up Itachi by the collar of his shirt, trying to seem threatening in front of his friends.

"Whadda ya mean _'my face'_?" he yelled into Itachi's face. Itachi coughed.

"I mean, your face is _nasty_! Oh, and your breath! I thought I was gonna _die_ for a second there!" Deidara got up and pushed the bully away from Itachi.

"Please, next time you decide to get in our faces and threaten us, brush your teeth first. And eat a few breathmints while you're at it!" Deidara said in a sarcastic tone. Itachi and Deidara walked off while the bully's face reddened in anger and embarassment.

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PLEASE! Review becuase you're all so awesome!


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Wow. The thirteenth chapter! Thanks to all of you who sent me awesome reviews! You all get cupcakes!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto. But you'd be jealous of me if I did.

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Homeroom class had started over ten minutes ago, but Kakashi still hadn't arrived. Everyone was sitting in different seats, scattered all over the room, talking and hanging out. Of course, Deidara and Itachi were side by side, enjoying the time they were able to spend together.

"Hey Deidara?" asked Itachi.

"Hmm?"

"Well, about what you did for me...when my dad called the house..I wanted to say..." Deidara interrupted him.

"No need to thank me!" he said, smiling. "He's an asshole." Deidara kissed Itachi on the cheek and brushed his bangs away from his eyes.

"Do you have any idea how cute you are?" Both boys giggled a little bit. A girl from the other side of the room came over to Deidara and Itachi's desks.

"You guys are _gay_, right?" she gasped suddenly and felt a little embarassed at what she said. "I mean, well, not that it was meant to be an insult or anythng it's just that...me and the other girls think it's really cute!" the girl spouted nervously. The boys smiled at her.

"Hehe...thanks!" Itachi said. The girl shrugged and walked back to her group of friends. Deidara laughed.

"So I guess us _gay people_ aren't as hated around here as much as that asswipe said we were." Itachi nodded and smiled. Suddenly Kakashi walked in and waved to his students.

"Haha...sorry about the wait. Well, you all might as well just keep hanging around because I heard we're having a fire drill in a few - -" and then the fire alarm rang, interrupting Kakashi and cueing the students to leave.

"Looks like I spoke too soon." Kakashi laughed. All the kids filed out of the school, not in lines but in disorganized clumps. The teachers organized the kids into their respective classes and began taking head count once everyone was outside. Deidara and Itachi stood with their classmates as Kakashi called out names. A car drove in the school parking lot and pulled up near the students, but not near enough to look sketchy. Deidara poked at Itachi's side, pointing to the car with his other hand.

"Why do you think that car is there?" Itachi asked. Deidara shook his head.

"I have no clue. But look! It's driving closer!" Itachi squinted his eyes, trying to make out the face behind the wheel. He gasped and latched onto Deidara when he found out who it was.

"Deidara!" he whispered shakily. "That's my uncle..my dad's brother. Why the hell is he here!?"Deidara put his arms around Itachi's waist protectively and kissed his cheek.

"Let's go tell Kakashi-sensei. Maybe he'll be able to do something about it." Itachi nodded and began to walk toward their teacher. As they were walking, Itachi's uncle jumped out of the car carrying a loaded gun. He ran quickly and grabbed Itachi by the wrist, holding the gun to his head. Students and teachers looked on in shock, some were screaming and crying, afraid that they would provoke the man into using the gun. Deidara was frozen in fear. Fear of Itachi getting hurt, and fear of getting hurt himself. Itachi did not dare to fight his uncle, not with a gun to his head.

"Kid, you're coming with me!!" Then he pointed the gun in the air. "I'll shoot you all if anyone follows me!" he yelled, backing up into his car and throwing Itachi in the back seat. He jumped in the front and locked all the doors, then drove off.

"Why are you doing this!? What's going on!!?" Itachi yelled.

"I'm only doing what your father told me to do." he said.

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YAY! Um, Please review. Thanks!


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Okaaaayyyy. Um, so...a few people have been asking me to take Itachi and Deidara's relationship further than it is right now. I'm not going to write anything that goes farther than hugging/kissing. It's not THAT kind of story, you horny bastards. And THEN there are a few people who are reading the story, and in each review they send, it says something about not liking the yaoi. You people don't have to like yaoi, but if you're going to annoy me about it and send stupid reviews, then don't read it. It's as simple as that. Because I'm not changing the story. Oh. And also, I didn't notice how short the last chapter was until recently. I'm sorry about that!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto.

Side Note: Just for those of you who don't know, Sasuke/Itachi's father's name is Fugaku. I had to say that because I use his name in this chapter. I was too lazy to look up the mother's name.

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Itachi frantically tried to escape the car, banging on windows and jiggling door handles. His face was flushed and tears streamed down his cheeks. His uncle glanced back at him with a grin on his face.

"You should stop wasting your energy. You're not gonna escape. Besides, you wouldn't wanna fall out of a moving car, would you?" he snickered. Itachi cursed under his breath and plopped back down into the seat.

"And stop crying like a baby. You remind me of a little girl!"

"Screw you! I wouldn't be crying if you hadn't _kidnapped_ me!" Itachi yelled furiously.

"Shut up or I'll whack you!"

"Like that scares me. How would that be any different than what my father did to me and Sasuke? You idiot!" Itachi said in a sort of sarcastic tone. Itachi's uncle suddenly stopped the car and turned around to face his nephew, holding the gun in a firm grasp.

"Kid, you're in no position to be giving me an attitude." he said, pointing the gun in Itachi's face. "I have no problem with blowin' your brains out right here!"

"Go ahead. Shoot me. It'll be pretty hard to hide the evidence once I'm dead. The blood will be splattered all over the place. They'll catch you." Itachi smirked.

_"What's with the sudden change in his attitude?"_ Itachi's uncle thought cautiously. They stared at each other for a few minutes, trying to anticipate each other's next move. Itachi's uncle had dropped his guard during those few minutes, and unfortunately for him, it bit him right in the ass. Itachi grabbed the gun away from his uncle and threw it at the glass window of the car, shattering it into peices. Itachi dove through the window, unaware of the peices of glass that had penetrated his skin.

"You little bastard! Get the fuck back here!!!" Itachi's uncle screamed. Itachi had already dissapeared. There was no way his uncle could follow him if he didn't know where to look.

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AT KONOHA STATE PRISON

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The Uchiha brothers' father sat at a lunch table with three other men. They were playing cards, pretty much because they weren't allowed to have anything else in their possesion. There were other men convicted of other crimes scattered across the room and also about twelve security guards within the area.

"So what did you guys do to get in here?" asked Fugaku, looking at his cards. The man on the right of him spoke up first. He was a bit thin, but looked like he worked out regularly. He had icy blue eyes and messy, semi-long brown hair.

"Grand Theft Auto!" he said proudly. Fugaku looked at the other two inmates, one who was really heavy and had almost no hair, and the other was really skinny with tattoos along his arms and really gross-looking facial hair. They were in for the same thing.

"Drug charges." they said at the same time.

"So what are you in for?" said the man on his right. Fugaku stared down at the table and hesitated to speak.

"Come on, dude! it couldn't have been any worse than what we've done!" one man laughed. Fugaku sighed.

"I'm here because...I beat my two sons..." For a moment, no one said anything. Then, the man on the right with the ice-like eyes stood up and punched him in the face as hard as he could. The others joined in, and security guards rushed to the scene to try and break it up.

"You dumbass motherfucker! How the hell could you beat up your own kids!?"

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AT THE NINJA ACADEMY

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The school bell rang, telling all the kids it was time for recess. Sasuke still sat in his seat, watching everyone else leave. A little blonde boy with whisker-like marks on his cheeks stopped by Sasuke and gave him a weird face.

"Het, why aren't you coming outside? Did'ya get in trouble or somethin'?" Naruto asked. Sasuke looked up, surprised to see that someone was talking to him.

"I just don't want to go..." he replied. Naruto sat down next to Sasuke.

"Well I'm just gonna hang around here then, so you won't be lonely!" the blonde said. Sasuke smiled slightly.

"Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"Are your parents nice to you?" Sasuke asked. Naruto frowned and looked down at the desk.

"I don't have a family." he said.

"Oh...I'm sorry..." Sasuke frowned and put his arm around Naruto's shoulder. "Well...maybe we could, um... be friends?" Sasuke asked hesitantly. Naruto looked up, smiling brightly.

"_Best_ friends!" he shouted, shooting a fist into the air.

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Okay, so...that was chapter 14. Please review! Because it's cool to review.

OH! I forgot! This chapter is dedicated to **Blood Kiss**. Because it makes me sooo happy to hear that she liked my story so much that she printed it out! Thank you for liking my story!


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Okay! 15th Chapter! Alright, guys...I have some bad news. There is a SLIGHT possibility [_very slight_ that Chapter 16 won't be up for a while. The thing is, money is getting tight at my house and it's getting hard to pay all the bills and stuff, such as the _internet bill_. But it's just a warning, because I gave my Mom some money to help out with the bill. So it MIGHT not happen...

DISCLAMIER: I don't own Naruto.

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"So Sasuke! Do you wanna come over my house today?" Naruto asked excitedly. It was the end of the school day and everyone had left. Naruto and Sasuke were walking home together. Sasuke shook his head.

"No, I think you should come over my house!" he said. Naruto nodded.

"Yeah, that sounds like fun too!" After about ten minutes, the two little boys had reached the house. Sasuke opened the door and was shocked when he and Naruto walked into the living room. There were two police officers talking to Deidara's father, and Deidara was helping his mother bandage up small wounds on Itachi's arms and legs. Sasuke and Naruto ran up to Itachi.

"Itachi!!! What happened to you!? Why is the police here!? What's going on!!?" he asked frantically. Deidara's mother put her hand on Sasuke shoulder.

"Please calm down. Why don't you take your friend and play in your room for a while..." Sasuke frowned and dragged Naruto into his room. Naruto plopped down onto the bed and crossed his arms.

"I wonder what's going on..." Sasuke said, sitting down on the bed.

"Ya' know what? I got a question. How come you and that Itachi guy don't look anything like your parents and your other brother looks just like them?" Naruto randomly asked.

"Those two aren't my real parents. Me and my brother Itachi are staying with them for a while..." Sasuke answered.

"Why?" Sasuke was begining to feel defensive, that Naruto was bieng a little nosey.

"I don't feel like talking about it." Sasuke said.

"Come on! I wanna know! You're my best friend, you can tell me!!!" the little blonde bothered. Sasuke looked at his friend with sorrow-filled eyes.

"Alright, but...you have to promise that you won't tell any of the other kids at the Academy..." Sasuke said cautiously.

"I would never tell anyone..." Naruto said, holding out his pinkey finger. "...pinkey swear!" Sasuke and Naruto linked pinkeys and then Sasuke took a deep breath, exhaling slowly.

"Listen...my dad used to hit my mom and Itachi and me. And then my mom started to think it was me and Itachi's fault that he was hurting her so...she started to hit us too. I don't know what I did...I always thought I was a good kid but maybe..." Sasuke paused as tears welled up in his eyes. "...maybe I'm a bad kid...maybe I deserved it..." Sasuke brought a hand to his face to wipe away the tears.

"No. You're not bad, Sasuke." Naruto said. He felt an overwhelming anger build up inside him after hearing Sasuke's story, like he was going to explode.

"Sasuke, if you were a bad person, do you think I would be friends with you? No offense Sasuke, but your parents suck!"

"I know." Sasuke said.

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BACK WITH ITACHI

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"So your uncle kidnapped you from school and threatened your life with a gun?" the cop asked. Itachi nodded.

"He said my father asked him to do it..." Itachi added.

"Your father must've talked to your uncle during a phone csll at prison. Those prison guards should moniter the phone calls thos inmates make more closely. Well anyways, when we find your uncle, we'll have to charge him with aiding a convicted felon in a crime. He isn't gonna get away with what he did."

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Alright! Katlyn LOVES reviews! Oh! Um, in this chapter, as you might have already noticed, ther is alot more Sasuke-ness than Itachi-ness. That's because I spent most of my time on this story writing about Itachi and..poor Sasuke was getting jealous! lol. PLEASE REVIEW!!!


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: LIEK, OMFG the 16th CHAPTER!!! Sorry for the delayed update. School just started(Junior year, woo hoo!) And I've been working part-time at Dunkin Donuts for a little over two months (MMM Donuts...) Speaking of which, when I'm cleaning the bathrooms over there, I'm usually thinking of what I'm going to write next, whether it be for this story, or another...weird, huh? ) Wellll. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto. I do, however, own the pen I used to write this fic. Haha!

**NOTE: This part of the story takes place a few weeks after whatever happened in the last chapter and stuff. Also, I've decided that along with the whole storyline I have set up, I'm also going to fit in what goes on with Itachi & everyone else while there isn't family-abuse-drama ensuing. You'll get the picture (I hope) once you read this chapter. If not, you can always message me )**

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Sasuke squirmed in his seat, somtimes the academy classes could be _so_ boring. His new best friend Naruto, who was sitting beside him, looked over and thought of how funny it was that Sasuke was being so fidgety. The blonde turned his head forward to see if Iruka-sensei was watching, then looked back at Sasuke.

"Sasuke, we should sneak out of class! Me and some others planned it this morning, it'd be so much more fun if you joined in!" he whispered. Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"What if we get caught?" Sasuke asked, his voice barely audible to anyone except the boy next to him.

"We won't! Come on!" Naruto pleaded. Sasuke sighed and nodded his head. Naruto then leaned over the side of his seat, nodding to a boy sitting across the room. He had his hair tied up in a ponytail and at first glance, looking in his eyes, you'd think he was a seven-year-old stoner. The boy nodded in response to Naruto, and signaled two other boys to get ready. Naruto poked Sasuke's shoulder.

"Get ready, this is it!" Sasuke nodded, and Naruto checked once again to see if his sensei was paying any attention to them. Naruto, Sasuke, and the others got up silently from their seats and began to tip-toe to the exit. While writing on the chalkboard, Iruka's eye twitched and he turned around in a flash to face his students.

"You five, get back here!!!" he yelled, his eyes bulging out of his head. He was quite surprised to see Sasuke joining in on the little escapade but nonetheless, he was determined to stop Naruto from sneaking out again. He did it constantly with the other boys and he found it very annoying.

"Come on, RUN!!!" Naruto yelled, pumping his fist into the air. As the boys stormed off, Sasuke froze up. He had never broken the rules before, so he wasn't sure whether to go back to his seat or to run off with Naruto and the others.

"Let's go Sasuke!!" Naruto grabbed his friend's arm and ran like his life depended on it. They all got away before Iruka could catch them. Once they were no longer within eyeshot, they all sat down underneath a tree and rested.

"So...who are you guys again?" Sasuke asked.

"My name's Shikamaru." The boy with the lazy-looking eyes said. "That's Chouji and Kiba." he pointed to the others. Sasuke smiled.

"Let's all be friends!" he yelled happily.

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AT ITACHI'S SCHOOL

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Itachi and Deidara sat in Study Hall, yet another class that Kakashi-sensei was the teacher of. This class was one of Itachi's favorites because he was able to just kick back and relax, and not have to do any work. During the past few weeks, Itachi was starting to feel alot better about himself. He hadn't felt the urge to cut in a while and he had been getting so much closer with his boyfriend. He would think about his parents and the situation from time to time, but he had tried to stop beating himself up over it. School was going really well for him too. Alot of people started to be really accepting of his relationship with Deidara, though a few dissapproved, they didn't really give a shit. Both boys were sitting in desks that were facing each other.

"Itaaaaachi. I'm soooo tired. I wanna go to sleep..." Deidara yawned. Itachi smirked.

"You had all last night to sleep. You shouldn't have been up watching all those creepy horror movies...you were probably too scared to close your eyes!" he joked, brushing his hand against the blonde's cheek. The two were interrupted by Kakashi.

"Hey, you two. how's it going? Doing good in your other classes, I hope?" he smiled warmly.

"Everything's going pretty well." Itachi stated. "'Cept Deidara finds it hard to stay awake in this class" he laughed. Deidara stuck his tongue out playfully. Kakashi decided to steer the conversation in a different direction.

"And Itachi..how's everything else? Everything okay with you and your brother?" he sounded concerned. Itachi rolled his eyes and sighed. On the outside it seemed that he didn't care much for what was going on with his family anymore. On the inside, it tore him up. He was just getting used to feeling good and not blaming himselfbut suddenly started to feel like his old self once Kakashi had reminded him.

"E-Everything's fine...just stop talking about it!" Itachi was getting frustrated. Deidara placed his hand on Itachi's shoulder in an attempt to calm him down.

"Itachi, he was just concerned..."

"I'm sorry.." Kakashi said. Itachis was still upset and decided to blow thngs way out of proportion. He stood up from his seat and ran toward the door. The other students just stared at him.

"I'm leaving!!!" he yelled and slammed the door. Kakashi, not being a hardass, didn't chase after him. He thought Itachi would need some alone time to calm down. Deidara looked up at Kakashi with a worried expression.

"Can I go see if he's alright?" Deidara asked, earning a nod from Kakashi. Deidara thanked him and walked out the door, heading to the bathroom. He knew that was where Itachi would be.

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WOOOOHOOOOO! It's 12:07 AM. I'm going to bed. Leave some reviews for when i get home from school? I love you guys!!


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: My gosh, it's been a few months hasn't it? I'm extremely sorry for the delay. I had ten million bazillion personal problems going on all at once and yeah...Since most of you just want to get on to the story, READ ON! But I'd gladly give you a very detailed explanation about what's been going on if ya'll wanna know. Just send me a message. Thank you to all the people who were being patient, I HEART YOUZ!

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Deidara rushed into the bathroom, checking all the stalls until he saw Itachi's feet through one of them. He heard him sniffling and crying too. Deidara knocked on the stall door.

"You okay, Itachi?" he asked. No answer. He tried again. "Are you alright?" he asked again, raising his voice a little.

"I'm fine, go away!" Itachi yelled. Deidara leaned against the stall door.

"You're obviously upset about something, or you wouldn't have just run out of the room like that. Now TALK."

"I don't have to." Itachi stated childishly.

"Listen, I know you're going through a tough time right now with all this shit that's been going on, but it dosn't give you the right to be an asshole! All you've been doing lately is acting like some stupid little victim! GROW UP!" A few seconds after saying this, Deidara felt guilty and wanted to take it all back. He let his anger get the best of him and said some things that shouldn't have been said.

"Oh reeeaally?" Itachi dragged out. "I'm just some stupid little victim, eh? I'm totally just faking all of this -- being upset, confused, and emotionally unstable -- it's all fake, right? You're _suppossed_ to be my boyfriend, and you're making me feel like shit!" Hearing this, Deidara kicked the stall door hard, hard enough to hurt his foot anyways.

"Treat you like shit!? I've been nothing but nice to you! If it weren't for me and my parents, your parents would still be kicking your as! So shut the fuck up!!!" Deidara was sure that there were a few tsudents who passed by the bathroom and ran away in fear of their heated little argument, but he didn't care.

"If you're going to be such a fucking asshole, then we should just break up!" Itachi yelled through the door.

"Fine! Go find yourself a new fucking boyfriend!" Deidara yelled back. The blonde stormed out of the bathroom and left Itachi to sit on the floor and cry. Itachi stared up at the ceiling and groaned.

"Now what am I gonna do?" he asked himself out loud. "I have to go back to his house at the end of the school day...what the fuck!" the raven-haired boy got up and decided that he'd better not go back to class after what had happened. He walked to the guidance office and stayed there for the rest of the day.

(END OF SCHOOL DAY)

Deidara and Itachi walked home, about three feet of space sseparating them. They stayed silent for the longest time, occasionally glaring at each other. The Itachi spoke.

"I've gotta pick up Sasuke."

"Un." the blonde replied, not even looking at Itachi. Both boys arrived at the Academy, where a large group of students were gettig ready to go home. Deidara stood outside, while Itachi stepped into the Academy. He could not find his little brother anywhere.

"Hey, Iruka-sensei!" he said, waving. Iruka looked up and smiled.

"Itachi! How have things been? I heard you were made a leader of an Anbu-Black Ops team! What brings you here?" he asked.

"Things have been okay...I guess..Where's Sasuke? He usually waits outside for me." An oversized, throbbing vein appeared in the upper-right corner of Iruka's head at the mentioning of Sasuke's name. His eye twitched and he tried to force a smile. It was pretty funny to watch, actually.

"Sasuke and his friends decided to skip class and interrupt my lesson." he tried saying calmly. Him and Naruto, and three other boys. You should go look for him!" Itachi apologized for Sasuke's behaviour and then thanked Iruka, and ran out of the Academy, past Deidara.

"Gotta go find Sasuke!" Itachi yelled while he was running. Deidara nodded and followed. The two didn't exchange words, let alone look at each other the entire time they were searching for Sasuke. They came to a stop when they saw five little boys sitting u8nder the shade of a large tree. Itachi smirked and rushed over to them. When Naruto saw the two older boys coming toward them, he rolled his eyes.

"Hey Sasuke, looks like we're in deep shit." Naruto whispered. Sasuke's eyes widened and he gasped in a very childish manner. Well, he was a child, afterall.

"Naruto, don't swear!" he said. His new friends giggled like little girls.

"Sasuke and Naruto, what a surprise." Itachi smirked. "I see you've made some new friends."

"Yeah.." Sasuke replied nervously. "So...am I in trouble?" he looked down at the ground.

"Oh yeah...you're in deep shit Sasuke-chan!" Itachi tackled his little brother to the ground playfully. They both ended up rolling on the ground laughing, as did Sasuke's new friends. Deidara stood there, sighing and rolling his eyes.

"Could you guys be anymore immature? Get off the ground, we need to get home." he said. Itachi let out a small laugh.

"Pull the stick out of your ass first." Naruto laughed, pulling Sasuke aside.

"And _you_ told _me_ not to swear..." he whispered.

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Okay, really shitty ending, I know. I'm sorry cuz I had extreme writers block. fjdbjhfdjhf.

Oh. I need to know, if any of you might be interested in being a BETA for one of my friends. She asked me to ask around so...just send me a message if you're interested.

ANOTHER THING! Did you guys see poor Spinner on Degrassi tonight? It made me sad :(


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: As always, I'm really sorry for my lack of updating. I hate to keep everyone waiting, but there is alot of stuff going on. I'd like to thank everyone who stayed reading this even though I'm terribly slow at updating. You guys are the best. I'd give you all free muffins if I could! Also, I want to thank everyone who has been reading this story, and also sent in reviews for the poem I wrote about Sasuke. Thanks! And with all that out of the way, on to Chapter 18!

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Itachi, Deidara, and Sasuke sat in different spots of the room. Deidara sat on his bed quietly, reading a magazine. Itachi and Sasuke were sitting on the floor together, talking about nothing in particular. Itachi was glad that he had Sasuke there, because it would be uncomfortably quiet with just him and Deidara.

"You remember my friend Naruto, right? The blonde one?" Sasuke asked. Itachi nodded, and wondered why Sasuke had mentioned the little blonde out of the blue like that.

"Well, did you know he dosn't have a mom or dad? He dosn't have any brothers or sisters either. He's all alone. Itachi, I'm so glad you're my brother! I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you..." Sasuke hugged his big brother tightly. "Maybe someday you and I...and maybe Naruto too...maybe we'll find some nice parents and a good home. Maybe we'll all live together! Wouldn't that be great!?" Itachi nodded but frowned a little bit. It made him a little sad to know that Sasuke was thinking about these sort of things.

"What, where you are right now isn't good enough for you!?" Deidara spurted out from behind his magazine. Itachi shot him a look that could kill.

"Leave Sasuke alone. He didn't do anything to you." Itachi said coldly.

"No! You two are so ungrateful! My parents took you in, and all you guys care about is finding a better home and _leaving_ me!" Deidara yelled, his eyes starting to tear up and his face geting flushed.

"So _that's_ what this is about? I get it, you're pissed off that you and I aren't together anymore, and you're taking it out on Sasuke now! You're so fucking pathetic!" Sasuke felt tears welling up in the corners of his eyes. He used his hands to cover his ears.

"Stop it! Just stop yelling you guys! If you hate me that much, then I'll just leave!" Sasuke got up and proceeded to the door, and just as quickly, Itachi grabbed his wrist.

"This isn't Sasuke's fault! Nor is it _mine_, so get over yourself!" he yelled.

"Fuck you!" the blonde yelled, and jumped from the bed onto Itachi. In the confusion, the older Uchiha had let go of Sasuke's wrist, leaving his younger brother free to run away from the commotion. Deidara had Itachi pinned to the ground, holding his arms above his head.

"What the hell is your problem!?" Itachi struggled beneath the blonde, trying to break free.

"You're not leaving me, Itachi!" And with that, Deidara had done something completely unexpected. He forcefully pressed his lips against Itachi's, running his tongue along his bottom lip. This caught Itachi by surprise, and he stopped struggling. He melted into the kiss, and felt his cheeks start to heat up. After about a minute, Deidara broke the kiss and looked Itachi straight in the eyes. The Uchiha felt a slight blush crawl across his pale face.

"Why did you do that?" Itachi asked. His voice sounded shaky and nervous.

"Because I love you. I can't stand being separated from you any longer, Itachi." He got up off of Itachi and helped him off the ground. They both stared into each other's eyes for quite a while. Then Itachi spoke.

"I don't care. It still dosn't change what you said earlier, at school. That I should _grow up_. I think _you're_ the one who needs to grow up. There's no excuse for acting like you did and blaming Sasuke." Itachi turned away and started walking toward the door.

"No! Don't leave!" Deidara grabbed Itachi's wrist rather forcefully, and it made Itachi snap. It reminded him of all those times his father used to beat on him.

-FLASHBACK-

"_Let go! Get off of me!" Itachi struggled to get away from his father, who was on on of his drunken rampages again. He tried hard to pull away, but to no avail. His wrist hurt, and he feared that his father was going to break it._

_"I'm sick of your attitude, kid! When I tell you to do something, I expect it to be done! Now, MOVE!" Fugaku threw Itachi into a wall, the boy spitting up a little blood in the process._

-END FLASHBACK-

Itachi turned around to face Deidara.

"Don't you ever..Don't ever fucking touch me! Get your fucking hands off of me!" Itachi pulled his wrist back and ran for the door. Deidara hurried to the door and got there before him.

"Please, Itachi! Don't leave! I love you, I swear! Please!" He wrapped his arms around the boy in front of him, begging him not to leave. "Itachi, I'm sorry. I really am. For _everything._ I know you're going through a tough time right now. I want to be there to face it with you. I don't want you to get hurt again. Please, you and Sasuke, you need to stay."

Itachi was silent. He couldn't find anything to say. All he really felt like doing was crying, so that's what he did. He buried his face in Deidara's chest and started to cry. Sasuke had heard Itachi's sobbing and reentered the room to check on his brother.

"Is everything..alright between you two?" Sasuke asked. Deidara nodded and smiled a little bit at him.

"Everything's going to be okay. You both have my word."

----

Sorry for the crappy ending, but that's what writer's block does to you!


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: w00t! I updated within ONE WEEK! Haha, a new record. Thanks to everyone who continues to read. You're all amazing. I'm sorry for the chapter's shortness. Writer's block SUCKS. Oh! PSST! Good news. I have a new baby brother. ON TO THE STORY!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto in any way, shape, or form.  
---- 

Itachi, Sasuke, and Deidara were fast asleep, it was still really early. The sun had barely risen up. Deidara's parents were awake, however, and just in time, too.There was a soft knock at the door. 

"I wonder who would stop by so early in the morning?" Deidara's mother thought. She opened up the door and saw Itachi and Sasuke's social worker, Maria. Deidara's father came up to the door also, his eyes a little wide. 

"Oh, hello!" the mother said, surprised. "Why are you here this early? What's going on?" she asked. Maria closed her eyes and sighed. 

"It's about Itachi and Sasuke's trial coming up. I need to speak to you both, and also Itachi, immediatly." She looked very worried. 

"I'll go wake up Itachi." Deidara's mother said, and she went into her son's room. She came out two minutes later with Itachi, who was rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"What time is it..." Itach mumbled.

"Sorry to wake you up so early, Itachi, but there is something serious I need to discuss with all three of you." Maria said. They all sat down at a table.

"Itachi, your parents were able to get a pretty good lawyer. Through spying, ang tapping the phone lines, I've been able to find out what there plan is to some extent. They're trying to make you look like the bad guy. What they're saying is, that you and Sasuke are mentally unstable, and that you had no idea what you were talking about when you accused them." Itachi rolled his eyes in disbelief.

"Are you serious!? How the hell are they going to explain the bruises on Sasuke and I, or my broken arm!? They couldn't possibly tell the authorities that we did this to ourselves, could they!?" He had tears forming in his glassy, obsidian-colored eyes.

"I'm afriad so." Maria said. "And because of this, you and your brother are scheduled for a mandatory psychiatric evaluation tomorrow. I promise you I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure you and Sasuke find a better home."

"So...so everyone is on _their_ side!? They think we're just doing it for attention, don't they?" Itachi said, a little quieter than the previous time he spoke. He looked to the ground.

"I'm very sorry, Itachi." Itachi's facial expression was depressing. He turned around without saying anything, and went back into Deidara's room. He crawled back into the bed as quietly as he could, so he wouldn't wake up Sasuke and Deidara. Unfortunately, Itachi slipped while getting on the bed and fell right on top of Sasuke.

"Oh crap..." Itachi whispered. Sasuke closed his eyes tightly, and then they shot open.

""Hey! Why did you jump on me, Nii-san!? I was sleeping!" Sasuke yelled rather loudly.

"Sshhhh!" Itachi whispered, placing a slender finger to the younger boy's lips. "I didn't mean to...I slipped, sorry." Sasuke sat up and looked at his big brother, a look of pure innocence plastered on the young boy's face.

"Why were you out of bed? You never get up this early." Sasuke tried to whisper.

"I don't want to talk about it, Sasuke-chan." Itachi layed his head back down on the pillow, not facing his little brother.

"Alright, Nii-san. I love you." Sasuke leaned over and kissed Itachi lightly on the cheek.

"Love you too, Sasuke-chan." Itachi whispered. They both drifted off to sleep.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N:** Good news, everybody! My Mom said she's going to be able to keep the computer until I get my laptop. Awesomeness. This chapter was a little hard for me, and I'm not sure if I totally liked the way it came out. I hope you all like it. So, onto chapter 20!

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Naruto, or any of the characters. If I did, Sasuke would be gay.

----

Sasuke was seated in a chair in a small room with sound proof walls. In the room with him was a creepy, middle-aged man holding a clipboard.

"Alright Sasuke, I'm going to ask you a few questions. I want you to answer as truthfully as you can, and don't be nervous. Can you do that?" he asked. Sasuke faintly nodded.

**-WITH ITACHI-**

Itachi was in a room similar to Sasuke's, with a doctor who looked to be in his late twenties. Itachi sat as far away as possible from the man, his arms crossed and his eyes like daggers. The doctor could feel the hostility in the air.

"Itachi, this will be alot easier if you open up and talk. Why are you so angry?"

Nothing.

"Itachi?" he said calmly.

Still nothing.

Then.

"Why does it matter? You won't believe me. Just like everyone else, you'll take their side." Itachi said quietly, his vioce almost inaudible.

"Well, you haven't said anything yet. I won't be able to make that descision until you tell me what's going on inside your head, Itachi."

**-WITH SASUKE-**

"Sasuke, how do you feel about your parents?" the man asked. Sasuke tilted his head to one side, a little confused.

"What do you mean? Like, if I like them or whatever?" he asked. The man nodded. Sasuke hesitated at first. "Well...I don't know. I don't really like my father. He dosen't really like me...or Itachi."

"Why don't you like him, Sasuke?"

"He hurts people." Sasuke looked down at the floor. He began fidgeting with his fingers out of nervousness.

"He hurts people _how_?" the man said, scribbling away on his clipboard. Sasuke got up from his seat and pushed up his sleeves, revealing scars and faded bruises, and even a few marks that looked like cigarette burns.

"Did your parents do this to you?" he asked. Sasuke nodded and sat back down.

**-WITH ITACHI-**

Just like Sasuke had done, Itachi had shown the doctor all of his battle scars. Silence filled the room. The doctor's mouth hung wide open, like he hadn't ever seen anything like that before.

"My parents did this." Itachi said, totally monotone.

"And you haven't shown anyone else?" Itachi shook his head.

"Besides my boyfriend...and his parents..no, not really. No one really believes me." he said, a sad expression forming on his face.

"I believe you. It must've been a horrible thing to go through. Don't worry though, you're safe now. We're going to do our very best to make sure your parents don't regain custody of you and your brother again." Just a little bit, a small smile flashed across his face. Now he had hope.

**-A FEW HOURS LATER-**

It was almost seven o' clock at night, Sasuke had fallen asleep on the couch while watching some random talk show on the television. Itachi and Deidara were in their bedroom, and Deidara's parents were busy making dinner. Itachi lay sprawled out on top of the bed, his arms outstretched above his head. He yawned and rolled onto his side.

"Judging by the way you're acting, I'm guessing the evaluation went well?" Deidara asked. Itachi then rolled onto his opposite side so he was facing his boyfriend. He smiled.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that. They believed me anyways." Itachi replied. Deidara got up and sat on the bed.

"We'll just have to wait and see what happens, I guess." he said, lying down next to Itachi.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: **Oh, how long it has been. So sorry for the wait. I had the whole chapter written up in my notebook, and when I went to type it up, the _whole thing_ was ripped out of the book! I had robably done it some time ago by mistake, and put it somewhere else. But I couldn't find it, so I had to start from scratch...Which also means an unbearably short chapter. Sorry you guys.

Also, there will probably be one or two more chapters after this one. The story's almost at a close.

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Naruto, or any of the characters.

--

Itachi stood in front of the mirror, fixing himself up. It was the morning of Itachi and Sasuke's court date with their parents, and Itachi was told he couldn't wear his normal around-the-house clothes when they went. He wasn't dressed up too fancy, but in his own opinion, wearing khaki pants and a sweater that reminded him of his grandmother wasn't exactly his idea of cool. He was adjusting his hair when he saw Deidara behind him in the mirror.

"We do have to leave soon. The trial starts at eleven o' clock. You're not even dressed yet." Itachi stated. Deidara yawned and put hims arms around the shoulders of his boyfriend.

"Unfotunately, I'm not allowed to go. I asked Mom and Dad last night, and they said it wasn't a _kid's thing_, or whatever. I have to stay here." he said. Itachi sighed and a small frown made it's way to Itachi's lips. Deidara noticed this, and felt bad. "Aw, come on. Don't worry. You'll be okay. I mean, look at all the evidence we've got! They can't possibly lie there way out of this!" he reassured.

"They were able to get _this_ far, what makes you think that they won't try and lie in front of everyone at the courthouse? What if they _do_ believe them? What'll happen to me and Sasuke.." Itachi was getting nervous. Things had worked out last night at the evaluation, but it was easy for Itachi to let things like this get to him. "I don't think I can do it...I don't think I can go." he said, just as Sasuke had walked into the room. Sasuke had heard enough to know what Itachi was talking about. It scared him a little bit, but he didn't want Itachi to know that he was scared.

"Itachi..." Sasuke said, grabbing hold of his brother's arm. He looked up at him and smiled. "Come on. You don't need to be scared. You've got me. We'll get through this. That's what you always told me, Itachi."

Itachi looked down at Sasuke, and could see nothing but unimaginable courage in his eyes. Sasuke was only a child, and he was being braver than he was. Itachi mentally shook away any remaining thoughts of fear he had. He needed to be strong for Sasuke. And for himself.

The boys suddenly heard the voice of Deidara's mother, calling for them to get into the car. Sasuke ran out to the door, and Itachi stayed behind for a few seconds to say goodbye to Deidara.

"Good luck. Love you." deidara kissed Itachi on the cheek.

"Love you too!" he said, running out the door.

**--AN HOUR LATER, AT THE COURTHOUSE--**

When the boys had arrived, they saw alot of people they'd seen before. They saw the social worker, Maria, they also saw the psychs from last night. Itachi's teacher, Kakashi, was also there. He didn't have the slightest clue why, but he was glad.

That short little outburst of happiness was cut short when he saw two other people.

His parents.

--

**A/N: **I am so sorry for this chapter's shortness. Other than me being an idiot and losing the original chapter, I also wanted to compact the whole trial into the next chapter. Please don't hate me.

On another, un-related note, I've started writing Zelda fanfiction now. I only have a oneshot up, but I'm working on more. So all you Zelda fans can go and check it out!


	22. Chapter 22

A/N: FINALLY this chapter is finished. I hope you all like it, because I worked very hard on it. This is the second to last chapter. I'm sorry for the long wait also, but I had some serious personal issues to attend to. I'm not going to throw 'em all out on here, but if you're really curious, feel free to message me. okay. On to the chapter!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto.

----

Sasuke froze up when he saw his parents. He was scared. Itachi placed a hand on his little brother's shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. He saw the fear in Sasuke's eyes and it made his blood boil. Those two losers who have the audacity to call themselves "parents" get a kick out of it. Itachi figured that they were too afraid to pick on someone their own size so, why not pick on a defenseless child? Let all your rage and aggravation out after a long, stressful day at work. Why not?

It was the move of a coward.

Itachi's eyes locked onto his father's, a strong feeling of hatred coursing through his veins. His father gave him a cold, unremorseful glare. This man did not feel sorry for what he did, only sorry that he might get sent to prison. He did not care about what happened to his two boys.

On the inside Itachi wanted to tear his father to shreds. He wanted to make him feel the same pain that he and his mother had inflicted on him and Sasuke for years. He had to keep his cool, for Sasuke's sake. He knew that acting out now in front of everybody would just make him look like a wayward teenager in need of severe discipline, and that would not help his situation one bit.

After about a twenty minute wait outside the courthouse, the doors were opened. This was it. Whatever happened now would determine the rest of the boy's childhood lives. To Itachi, both of their lives were literally on the line. If the jury believed in their story, they'd be home free. If not, it runs the risk of being sent back to that hell hole to live with their so-called "family". It would also mean that the boys would probably have to undergo some type of psychological treatment; seeing as they'd probably think they were crazy for _lying_ about such _good_ and _caring_ people.

Itachi knew that if they were sent back, they would be in for a world of hurt. And it would be alot worse than what happened in the previous years.

Everyone filed into the courthouse in an orderly fashion, Fugaku and Mikoto in handcuffs with police officers behind them as a precaution. All of them were fored to wait with anticipation for a little while longer. There were other trials going on and Itachi had to wait his turn. During the wait, Itachi's teacher Kakashi had come to speak with him. He could sense Itachi's nervousness as sonn as their eyes met.

"Kakashi-sensei?" his voice cracked a little bit. Kakashi put his hand on Itachi's shoulder in the very same manner that he had done for Sasuke to comfort him.

"Are you alright?" Kakashi already knew the answer to this question. He knew Itachi was a nervous wreck, but figured that he would appreciate being asked. To know someone cared about him. Itachi took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly. He wanted to cry, to run into his teacher's arms like a frightened child, because that's exactly what he was. He was just as scared as Sasuke was, but he had to remain strong. He didn't cry. He didn't want to give his parents, who were only a few feet away from him; the satisfaction.

"I'm okay." he said blankly. Kakashi nodded.

"Well I just want to let you know...you don't have to be afraid. It'll be a cold day in hell before we go down without a fight. We're all behind you. And Sasuke. Trust me. I promise, you don't have to worry." he assured his student. His little pep talk made Itachi feel a little better.

Within a half an hour, one of the court rooms was now available to discuss the Uchiha's case. The room filled up quickly. Alot of people were there to hear the ruling, mostly people Itachi and Sasuke had never seen before. They both assumed they were just more people from the Department of Social Services. Itachi did recognize a few faces in the crowd, though he did not know them personally. Random villagers. Everyone knew of the Uchiha Clan. It was only logical that the whole village would come and watch.

Everyone was seated in the benches. Sasuke and Itachi took their seats with the social worker Maria, and the two psychs from the other day. Fugaku and Mikoto sat on the other side of the room with a lawyer that they had managed to hire.

A sort of chubby man wearing a long, black robe came into the room from another doorway and took his seat at the judge's podium. Itachi thought he looked like a reasonable guy...someone who would probably be willing to listen to their side of the story...but as he has learned in the past, looks can be decieving. The judgebanged his mallet on the desk once, and there it was. That was the sign that the trial had just begun.

"Alright. These files say that you two have been accused of child abuse and neglect. Mikoto Uchiha, I will call you to the stand first." the judge said. Mikoto nodded and got up from her seat. While walking up to the stand, she looked at both of her boys with a sad, empty look in her eyes. She sat down on the stand and Maria had come up to ask a few questions.

"Mikoto Uchiha. I'm going to start this off by asking some questions..." she said, fumbling through some folders with Itachi and Sasuke's names on them. She pulled out a picture. It was a picture of Sasuke's arms and chest. The picture exposed deep bluish-purple bruises in different shapes and sizes. He also had a small number a scars and some marks that looked like cigarette burns.

"Mikoto, can you tell me where these marks came from?" she asked. There was a long pause of silence. Mikoto finally spoke after several minutes.

"I'm sorry. I can't. I don't know where those marks came from." she was lying through her teeth.

"What if I told you that I have a taped conversation of your boys telling me that you and your husband did these things to them?"

"I'd say that they must have been coerced into saying such horrible things. They're my babies, I love them with all of my heart. I would never lay a hand on either one of them." Itachi glared at her, full of hate when those words drifted out of her mouth. He despised liars.

"Your honor, I would like to be able to play the tape of my conversation with the boys." Maria asked. Of course, she was granted permission. She pushed the play button on the tape recorder.

_"What happened to your wrist, sweetie?"_

_"I hurt it." _

_"I know you hurt it. But I want to know how you hurt it. Can you tell me, please?" _

_"What's that thing for?"_

_"It's something we use to record people's voices on, sweetie. Like..like, um...like if you were on the radio! Now, please, Itachi. Please tell me how you hurt your--"_

_"If Itachi tells you, he's gonna get in trouble again. Because Mom and Dad will hear him on the radio, right? They'd hit him again."_

Maria pressed the stop button on the recorder and turned to Mikoto.

"Tell me, Mikoto. Why would Sasuke tell me that Itachi would get hit again if he said anything? I don't think your son could have possibly said such a thing if it weren't true." she said. Mikoto shook her head.

"I told you, they must have been coerced. I would never hurt my children." she lied. Maria could tell that she was not going to get much out of their mother. She thought at first that she might be easier to break. Mikoto would probably fess up to everything, if it haven't been for her husband sitting in the same room.

"That is all, your honor." she sat back down. It was time for Fugaku and Mikoto's lawyer to work his dirty, underhanded magic.

"I want to call Itachi Uchiha to the stand." he said. Itachi almost gasped. His eyes widened and he was scared as all hell. He got up and took his seat at the stand.

"Itachi...would you call yourself a troubled child?" he asked. He wasn't exactly nice in his manner of asking either. Itachi looked down at the ground, silent. The lawyer ignored the fact that Itachi didn't answer the question, and began asking more questions.

"Would you mind showing us your wrists?" he forced back a laugh.

"Why? What's so important about my wrists?" Itachi asked nervously. He knew exactly what this dipshit was trying to do. One of his parents must've mentioned something about the cutting. If the judge saw his arms, he'd probably think he was insane. He'd probably think his _insanity_ was the cause of this _accusation_.

"Come on, Itachi. Show us. You shouldn't be afraid if you have nothing to hide." Damn, this guy was a vindictive bastard. Itachi pulled up his sleeves, revealing lots of scars and a few bright red slashes. He looked down on the ground, embarrassed.

"Oh, Itachi! It appears these wounds are self-inflicted! Why would you do such a thing to yourself?" he asked rhetorically. "Sir, this clearly proves that Itachi Uchiha is in need of intense psychological care. He's clinically insane! Which explains why he'd accuse his parents of such an offense! I rest my case." he again, choked back on a laugh.

"OBJECTION! Your honor, it was his parents that drove Itachi to this point! Sure, self-mutilation is not the way to cope; but at the time it was the only way Itachi knew how to! This does not make him 'clinically insane'!" Maria looked angrily at the parents' lawyer. "And what are you going to say about the pictures. Don't try pulling that _self-mutilation_ crap with those photos!"

The judge glared at the lawyer with a stern look. He was not convinced that Itachi was mentally ill. The photos and the taped conversation proved it. This whole trial did make him very upset, due to the fact that he had a family of his own. He could not imagine hurting his own children and the thought of these two losers doing the unthinkable to their own flesh and blood...it made him sick. He had made his own descision.

"I rule in favor of Itachi and Sasuke Uchiha. There was more than enough evidence to show that you two were guilty as charged. I sentence the both of you fifteen years in separate prisons, without the possibility of parole." the judge turned to the police officers at the back of the room. "Get these two scum bags out of my court room."

Sasuke immediately turned to Itachi and hugged him tightly in extreme happiness and relief. Itachi hugged him back and then turned to Maria. She smiled at him and he smiled back.

"Thank you so much.." Itachi said, still a little bit in shock. Maria nodded.

"Your welcome. I told you in the begining that I was here to help. We aren't done yet though...you and Sasuke need to come with me now and we're going to find you a nice home and a good family." she said.

"A nice home...a good family...that's all I ever really wanted.


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N**: Last chapter! YAY! Thank you guys all so much for sticking it out with me. I am very grateful and I hope you all like the last chapter of "Save Us"!!! Psst. I'm typing this one in school…

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Naruto.

Itachi, Sasuke, and Maria walked into a large room with bare, white walls and a big wooden table in the middle. The room was sort of creepy and unwelcoming. They sat down and waited. Itachi put his head down on the table and closed his eyes. Whoever they were waiting for, they sure took their sweet time getting there. The three of them ended up waiting about fifteen more minutes until someone else entered the room.

"Sorry I'm late!" It was Kakashi, Itachi's teacher.

"Huh?" Itachi lifted his head up. _"What is he doing here?"_ he thought. Maria motioned for him to take a seat. He sat down on the other side of the table, across from Itachi.

"It's lucky that you volunteered to adopt these two. They would've had to be put into foster homes." Itachi looked at Kakashi, and then at Maria.

"Wait a minute…are you serious?" Itachi was a little shocked. He thought he would have to be sent to a foster home with a family that didn't see him as anything other than a paycheck. He was also concerned that there was a possibility that he could be separated from Sasuke. The thought of Kakashi adopting them sounded pretty cool. He had always looked up to his teacher, and he knew that he would definitely be a good parent.

"Of course we are serious." Maria said with a big smile.

"Did you hear that, Sasuke? We're going to live with Kakashi-sensei! This is awesome!" Both the boys' faces lit up with joy.

"Now I just need you to sign some paperwork and we'll be all set." Maria said to Kakashi, handing him a small stack of papers. He quickly got to work on them while Itachi and Sasuke were sent back out of the room to meet with Deidara's parents. They were going to take them back and help them get everything packed and ready.

-BACK AT DEIDARA'S HOUSE, A FEW HOURS LATER-

"It's wicked cool that you guys both got adopted. And by Kakashi-sensei! He's a great guy!" Deidara said as he helped Itachi pack. Sasuke had already gotten his things together.

"I'm going to miss having you here." said the blonde. Itachi looked up and planted a cute little kiss on his forehead.

"I'm going to miss you too. But at least now you won't have to worry about _sneaking_ into the house through my window to see me! You can come over anytime you want!" they both smiled. After getting everything packed and ready, both Sasuke and Itachi were called into the living room. Kakashi was standing in the doorway, ready to take the boys to their new home.

"_This is the beginning of a new life." _Itachi thought to himself, taking a deep breath and exhaling calmly. Something he hadn't been able to do for a long time.


End file.
